Eleven months from now, the nation will elect 435 congressmen, 33 senators and a president to lead us in 2013 and beyond. This election is probably the most critical in our country's history, as it is an ideological battle between Republican ideas and plans and Obama's "Everything for Everybody" socialist movement.
Obama wants to govern and to rule over us from birth to grave and with his "class warfare," claiming we all have a right to a job, an education, a home and health insurance. He believes that there is nothing that citizens face that government cannot solve.
Obamacare has created the "calorie police" (it's in the bill, read it yourself). This force will police restaurant chains to make sure calorie counts are posted or face fines.
Obamacare has created a 16,500 man "IRA police force" to seek out health insurance purchases and make sure you have the correct health insurance plan that you can afford or face fines. No free choice anymore.
Obama wants to cut the Pentagon budget, putting 100,000 people out of work and jeopardizing our national security, as we face crucial problems all over the globe forced to defend our security with the military we will have.
Obama has stopped the drilling for oil, natural gas and coal that is within our borders, preferring to pay billions daily to foreign nations that hate us and support terrorists and threaten our supplies.
Obama has held up the Keystone XL Pipeline that would bring a million gallons of oil daily from Canada to Houston putting 20,000 into jobs. At today's oil prices that would be $97 million daily that would stay in Canada and the U.S. He'd prefer we spend that money in Venezuela and support Hugo Chavez.
Obama wants our nation to build our energy needs on renewable sources. In 2011 our renewable energy sources have supplied our nation with 3 percent of our needs. Three solar panel companies have failed this year, and the $177 million solar power plant in California has been canceled due to price competition from China. These are your green energy jobs Obama promised. Let's not forget the Cape Wind Project, 10 years now — can you feel the energy?
When Obama took office, our federal debt was $9.8 trillion and as I write, our debt is $15.4 trillion and he is asking for another $1.4 trillion to get us through 2012 budget needs. This is a major, major problem, and he has done nothing to ease this problem.
Obama has continued to add to that debt by giving the middle class a bailout with his 99 weeks of unemployment checks and his income tax holiday plan that has raided much-needed Social Security funds.
Obama has created the preventive Services Task Force, a committee of experts appointed by Health and Human Services that recently declared that men should not be routinely screened for prostate cancer or have rectal exams and ultrasounds. This same committee wanted to ban annual mammograms for women under 50, saying these exams are expensive and that the lack of them would not increase mortality rates but save money. I call this rationing and the creation of death panels; what would you call it?
Obamacare health plans beginning in 2014 must cover emergency services, maternity and newborn care, mental health and substance use disorder services, prescription drugs, rehabilitative services, preventive services, chronic disease management, pediatric services, oral care, vision care, hospitalization and outpatient services. When this becomes law, get ready for shock and awe when you get your health insurance bills.
Despite TARP, the $800 billion stimulus, Cash for Clunkers, tax credits on electric cars, window replacement and first-time home buyers, Cash for Caulkers, tax cut holidays, mortgage refinancing programs, bank and auto industry bailouts and new government Wall Street rules, we are still mired in a bad economy without jobs, and Obama wants four more years.
According to energy and economic experts, the latest ruling from Obama's EPA may force the shutdowns of enough coal-fired power plants to put the nation in danger of real serious power shortages. This is Obama's solution to our energy needs.
This is a small sample of your Obama presidency in action. There is more, much more passing through our government under the radar that we should be aware of besides the economy, jobs and class warfare.
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Richard A. Astukewicz of Salisbury is a retired business manager.
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